Category Archives: Living in California

Dear Mayor Schaaf

Posted on April 13, 2017 by Pam

1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza 3rd Floor Oakland, CA 94612 officeofthemayor@oaklandnet.com phone: (510) 238-3141 fax: (510) 238-4731 TTY: (510) 238-3254 Dear Mayor Schaaf, I’m leaving Oakland. After two years in Oakland, CA, I’m leaving. My time here has been horrendous … Continue reading →

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Leaving California

Posted on August 12, 2016 by Pam

I’m leaving California. Six years after this journey began, my California adventure is coming to a close. I came, I saw, I conquered. And now I’m leaving for reasons I’ll explain below. I’ve seen so many wonderful things in six … Continue reading →

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Another Death on Bart Tracks

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Pam

Luckily, I was planning to work from home today. Because when I opened up my news app, the first thing I saw was this: This is my Bart station. And this is the third time this year that someone has … Continue reading →

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Let’s Get Political

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Pam

I was looking at a photo on Facebook this morning. It was an image of Obama standing in the White House next to a small African American schoolgirl. He was writing something to give to her as she stared up … Continue reading →

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A Sad Day for Bart

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Pam

Today is a very sad day for Bart…a Bart police officer fatally shot a fellow officer while searching a suspect’s apartment. That’s what the news outlets are reporting. A thousand questions lie behind this story that demand answers. There aren’t … Continue reading →

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How to Ride BART

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Pam

How to Ride Bart – Part 1 Catching a ride on a Bart train is a confusing and mysterious process, vaguely described on the Bart website but mostly left up to erstwhile riders to figure out. Eventually, even the dumbest … Continue reading →

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The Bart Vapors

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Pam

It happened again this morning. I’ve seen it happen a few times now. It’s almost happened to me, but I’ve learned to control it. So it’s cold this morning, 40 degrees, really cold for this part of California. Everybody bundles … Continue reading →

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The Daily Bart

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Pam

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Welcome to the Daily Bart. If you’re lucky enough to live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you’re well acquainted with Bart. We love it and we hate it, but we use it–some of us … Continue reading →

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Plugged in and Tuned out

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Pam

Almost everyone on Bart is plugged into some type of mobile device – phones  and tablets of every brand. I’ve seen gray-haired grandmothers, white wires sprouting from their ears, tediously pecking away at a tiny touchscreen. Headphones are also popular; … Continue reading →

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Strangers on a Train

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Pam

The Daily Bart started well, on this Friday the 13th. Even tho I opted for the later train, I was still able to score a parking spot in my prime area on the first floor of the parking deck. Since … Continue reading →

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Things you see in California

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Pam

A real live go-go dancer at the Neptune Beach Festival in Alameda this past weekend:

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Ft. Cronkite

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Pam

Visited Ft. Cronkite this weekend. It’s a WWII gunnery battery on the coast of San Francisco. My dad was stationed here in the Army for a couple of years, 1936-1938. He talked about watching them build the GoldenGate bridge; now … Continue reading →

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Goodbye, Yahoo

Posted on February 16, 2013 by Pam

I just deleted my Yahoo account. I’ve had the account for over 10 years, since the time when having a  Yahoo email account was the only way to get your email away from home, which was such a neat concept! … Continue reading →

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Notes from Shasta (via Maya)

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Pam

As a resident of San Francisco who now commutes up to 4 hours a day, I have been forced to do something I NEVER thought I would do — HIRE A DOG WALKER! It’s just too much to ask Shasta … Continue reading →

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White Christmas?

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Pam

At yoga class this morning, my friend Alan shared a lovely poem that he had written. I’m sure he had no idea how appropo it is to my situation. With his permission, I am sharing the poem here. I wish … Continue reading →

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The Four Sharons

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Pam

The first Sharon is my Sharon by birth, half-sister, half-mother, whole love. A Marilyn Monroe look-alike, always. Even now pushing 70. She is the perfect daughter, the one who wears the most scars. The second Sharon is mine by marriage, … Continue reading →

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The Library that Saved My Life

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Pam

I’ve been seriously studying these books since I got here. Interestingly, they each say pretty much the same thing. Enlightening and life changing. The untitled book is my personal journal. Wouldn’t you love to read that! Maybe when I’m dead. … Continue reading →

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Zombies

Posted on November 12, 2011 by Pam

This town is full of lost souls, driven mad with loneliness and despair, alcoholism and abandonment. They wander the filthy streets they call home like zombies, muttering obscenities, shouting at ghosts in the way. No one notices as they avoid. … Continue reading →

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Fleet Week

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Pam

I had never heard of Fleet Week before I moved to SF, but it is a big deal here. The first week in October (typically the most beautiful time of year in SF), several Navy ships dock in the ports … Continue reading →

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A Lesson in Uncertainty

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Pam

Since the day I left Atlanta, I have not known what was going to happen next. At first, this was exhilarating, liberating, a feeling of excitement like I have never known. Now I have reached a point where I truly … Continue reading →

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